Post by davidhr on Jul 31, 2018 7:38:49 GMT -5
Lara is still enjoying herself in Sicily, as evidenced by several Instagram posts. For example,
with the caption, “With my ‘elephant’ of Catania.”
As to the significance of the elephant in this fountain in Catania, here is a discussion (from italiannotes.com/elephants-in-catania-sicily/)
-------------------------------------------
Why are there elephants in Catania?
Some claim there once lived flocks of dwarf elephants at the foot of Mount Etna. Others say it is in memory of the wizard Eliodoro from the 8th century, who could turn into an elephant, or at least shape a magical elephant out of clay to carry him back and forth between Catania and Constantinople. Still others argue that the elephant stands as a symbol of the victory Catania won over Libya, and Catania was known as elephant town already during the Arab occupation. And then there are those who believe that the local elephant myth comes from an antique circus, and that the people of Catania since the 1200s have used elephants as good-luck charm to protect them against outbreaks of Etna.
Enough symbols to keep Carl Jung occupied for hours
In any event, elephants in general and the “u Liotru” landmark in particular have a special place in the heart of the second largest town in Sicily. That is the Fontana dell’Elefante in the square outside the cathedral to be precise. A black elephant with a strange 3.66 metre tall obelisk on its back is enthroned over the marble fountain. A globe, cross, palm leaf, olive branch and the abbreviation MSSHDPL * crowns the obelisk, so there are signs and symbols to keep Carl Jung occupied for several hours.
The whole construction most of all resembles war booty from India or Thailand, but it is entirely Sicilian, created by the architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini around 1736.
Marks the city center
The fountain marks the city center midway between the market and the main street, the huge monastery, now converted into a university, and the port. Here you will find people chatting or resting their feet around the clock, while they observe the passers-by in a city that – also for tourists – offers much more fun than you’d expect given its reputation.
*MSSHDPL supposedly stands for “Mente sana e sincera, per l’onore di Dio e per la sua liberazione della patria,” which translates into something like “A healthy and sincere mind in honour of God and for the liberation of the homeland.”
-----------------------------------------
Their description of people around the fountain perfectly matches what can be seen in Lara’s photo.
Continuing her Sicily theme, she also posted another picture, at:
with the caption, “Mother's Caponata”.
And there have been several additional photos of Lara in Sicily on the FB site of Martin Rouleau Engel & Volkers, e.g.,
www.facebook.com/martinrouleau.ev/photos/rpp.191525707580989/1934795433253999/?type=3&theater
with the caption, “Lara Fabian makes me discover magic places of Sicily! On the agenda, shopping, lunch and beach.”
and
www.facebook.com/martinrouleau.ev/photos/a.591650724235150.1073741870.191525707580989/1941330569267152/?type=3&theater
with the caption, “The light of Sicily is reflected even on a black and white photo! Thank you Lara Fabian for the most special week! — at Sicily.”
Martin Rouleau, pictured here, is a high-end realtor in the Greater Montreal region. One can speculate that it is no accident that Lara has been showing him around Sicily, given how he could have been showing her around properties in Montreal. In fact, the Lara Fabian – International page noted she was photographed with him back in April,
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianInternationalPage/photos/fpp.298006460224405/2126579447367088/?type=3&theater
Finally, the Lara Fabian Italy FB page posted a photo in which, on returning home he wrote, “getting home and unwrapping souvenirs is always fun. Brings back good memories. Thank you Lara Fabian for the most beautiful Moorish Ceramic Heads! I love them!"
It’s hard to remember any time in the past when Lara has provided so much material about her summer in Sicily. Presumably she is trying to keep interest alive while her public schedule is empty, and she has the time to post pictures of her activities.
While Lara is relaxing in this summer weather, others are greatly stressed, as intense heat is continuing at many places in Europe (and elsewhere). Lara posted on Twitter a comment about the fires in Greece:
“My prayers for Greece, may the horrible fire cease to torment this beautiful county and its people.”
The death toll as of Sunday had risen to 91, and although arson is suspected (https://abcnews.go.com/US/death-toll-fires-greece-climb-91-investigation-points/story?id=56902068), this ‘summer from hell’ is associated with fires due to dry conditions in many regions.
With only one concert left for the Camouflage World Tour, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Lara’s wonderful promotion video has been reformulated for that location/language, as can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/larafabianweb/videos/2320191341329721/
It still seems very odd for her to go all that way for one concert, something that in the past she explicitly refused to do… There apparently is no ‘meet and greet’ because Lara will be busy, so perhaps preparations will be made there for additional, future appearances, or other activities. Looking at the current seating chart indicating what is available, it’s obvious that considerably less than half the seats have been sold, though we are still two months ahead of the concert date. The Lara Fabian Brazil FB site is posting an advertisement for the concert after each of their posts to try to help Lara fill the house, which could encourage her to return.
Still no word about the release date of the new French album, or any associated singles or concert tour. When asked, Lara’s Team indicated that one should not depend on rumors (which suggest the release has been delayed ‘til early 2019), and urged “patience”. Also no word yet about Lara’s possible participation on La Voix, although the first pre-audition screening is taking place this coming Friday. [That activity does not require the presence of any of the judges, none of whom have been announced].
Interesting photo of the day: from the Lara Fabian Web site:
www.facebook.com/larafabianweb/photos/pcb.2320826727932849/2320826677932854/?type=3&theater
where they used as a caption, Lara’s statement:
These summer days Lara appears to be living without music, at least publicly, and communicating through pictures that show her enjoying the life available in her mother’s home country. As we’re now just entering August there would appear to be plenty of time left for her to continue in this relaxed mode. Us too…
David
with the caption, “With my ‘elephant’ of Catania.”
As to the significance of the elephant in this fountain in Catania, here is a discussion (from italiannotes.com/elephants-in-catania-sicily/)
-------------------------------------------
Why are there elephants in Catania?
Some claim there once lived flocks of dwarf elephants at the foot of Mount Etna. Others say it is in memory of the wizard Eliodoro from the 8th century, who could turn into an elephant, or at least shape a magical elephant out of clay to carry him back and forth between Catania and Constantinople. Still others argue that the elephant stands as a symbol of the victory Catania won over Libya, and Catania was known as elephant town already during the Arab occupation. And then there are those who believe that the local elephant myth comes from an antique circus, and that the people of Catania since the 1200s have used elephants as good-luck charm to protect them against outbreaks of Etna.
Enough symbols to keep Carl Jung occupied for hours
In any event, elephants in general and the “u Liotru” landmark in particular have a special place in the heart of the second largest town in Sicily. That is the Fontana dell’Elefante in the square outside the cathedral to be precise. A black elephant with a strange 3.66 metre tall obelisk on its back is enthroned over the marble fountain. A globe, cross, palm leaf, olive branch and the abbreviation MSSHDPL * crowns the obelisk, so there are signs and symbols to keep Carl Jung occupied for several hours.
The whole construction most of all resembles war booty from India or Thailand, but it is entirely Sicilian, created by the architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini around 1736.
Marks the city center
The fountain marks the city center midway between the market and the main street, the huge monastery, now converted into a university, and the port. Here you will find people chatting or resting their feet around the clock, while they observe the passers-by in a city that – also for tourists – offers much more fun than you’d expect given its reputation.
*MSSHDPL supposedly stands for “Mente sana e sincera, per l’onore di Dio e per la sua liberazione della patria,” which translates into something like “A healthy and sincere mind in honour of God and for the liberation of the homeland.”
-----------------------------------------
Their description of people around the fountain perfectly matches what can be seen in Lara’s photo.
Continuing her Sicily theme, she also posted another picture, at:
with the caption, “Mother's Caponata”.
And there have been several additional photos of Lara in Sicily on the FB site of Martin Rouleau Engel & Volkers, e.g.,
www.facebook.com/martinrouleau.ev/photos/rpp.191525707580989/1934795433253999/?type=3&theater
with the caption, “Lara Fabian makes me discover magic places of Sicily! On the agenda, shopping, lunch and beach.”
and
www.facebook.com/martinrouleau.ev/photos/a.591650724235150.1073741870.191525707580989/1941330569267152/?type=3&theater
with the caption, “The light of Sicily is reflected even on a black and white photo! Thank you Lara Fabian for the most special week! — at Sicily.”
Martin Rouleau, pictured here, is a high-end realtor in the Greater Montreal region. One can speculate that it is no accident that Lara has been showing him around Sicily, given how he could have been showing her around properties in Montreal. In fact, the Lara Fabian – International page noted she was photographed with him back in April,
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianInternationalPage/photos/fpp.298006460224405/2126579447367088/?type=3&theater
Finally, the Lara Fabian Italy FB page posted a photo in which, on returning home he wrote, “getting home and unwrapping souvenirs is always fun. Brings back good memories. Thank you Lara Fabian for the most beautiful Moorish Ceramic Heads! I love them!"
http://instagram.com/p/Bl1ErhggQ8J
It’s hard to remember any time in the past when Lara has provided so much material about her summer in Sicily. Presumably she is trying to keep interest alive while her public schedule is empty, and she has the time to post pictures of her activities.
While Lara is relaxing in this summer weather, others are greatly stressed, as intense heat is continuing at many places in Europe (and elsewhere). Lara posted on Twitter a comment about the fires in Greece:
“My prayers for Greece, may the horrible fire cease to torment this beautiful county and its people.”
The death toll as of Sunday had risen to 91, and although arson is suspected (https://abcnews.go.com/US/death-toll-fires-greece-climb-91-investigation-points/story?id=56902068), this ‘summer from hell’ is associated with fires due to dry conditions in many regions.
With only one concert left for the Camouflage World Tour, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Lara’s wonderful promotion video has been reformulated for that location/language, as can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/larafabianweb/videos/2320191341329721/
It still seems very odd for her to go all that way for one concert, something that in the past she explicitly refused to do… There apparently is no ‘meet and greet’ because Lara will be busy, so perhaps preparations will be made there for additional, future appearances, or other activities. Looking at the current seating chart indicating what is available, it’s obvious that considerably less than half the seats have been sold, though we are still two months ahead of the concert date. The Lara Fabian Brazil FB site is posting an advertisement for the concert after each of their posts to try to help Lara fill the house, which could encourage her to return.
Still no word about the release date of the new French album, or any associated singles or concert tour. When asked, Lara’s Team indicated that one should not depend on rumors (which suggest the release has been delayed ‘til early 2019), and urged “patience”. Also no word yet about Lara’s possible participation on La Voix, although the first pre-audition screening is taking place this coming Friday. [That activity does not require the presence of any of the judges, none of whom have been announced].
Interesting photo of the day: from the Lara Fabian Web site:
www.facebook.com/larafabianweb/photos/pcb.2320826727932849/2320826677932854/?type=3&theater
where they used as a caption, Lara’s statement:
These summer days Lara appears to be living without music, at least publicly, and communicating through pictures that show her enjoying the life available in her mother’s home country. As we’re now just entering August there would appear to be plenty of time left for her to continue in this relaxed mode. Us too…
David
